This movie wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I was thinking Payback, but in the 60's, because they are both based on the same source material. They do have the same beats but different melodies. Walker (Lee Marvin) is a thief and a damn good one. Unfortunately, he also has a soft spot when it comes to his old army buddy, Mal (John Vernon). So when Mal comes to him begging to do one last job at Alcatraz, he agrees. Then Mal shoots him in the back and steals his wife (Sharon Acker). Walker takes some time to heal up, then goes looking for revenge. Mal has used the money they took to get back in with a crime syndicate and Walker's wife has become a junkie. Walker reaches out to her sister, Chris (Angie Dickinson), for help in taking down Mal, but soon decides to take on the entire syndicate.
Lee Marvin is so cool. He manages to be stoically impassive and emotionally expressive at the same time. I could have done without the weird flashbacks and dream sequences, but I realize that it was a style of the 60's. It does give it a kind of acid-jazz vibe. Obviously, the clothes, the cars and even the dialogue date this film but not to an unwatchable point. If you're in the mood for a swinging vengeance story but don't want the grime of the 70's, you could do worse.
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